1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a puncture evident surgical glove having integral indicating means by which to visually and instantaneously alert the wearer should the structural integrity of the glove be compromised by a tear or puncture that could expose the wearer to a contagious and potentially life-threatening disease.
2. Background Art
A rapidly growing problem facing surgeons and health care workers who treat high risk patients is contracting nosocomial infection of hepatitis, AIDS and other contagious diseases through punctured, torn or otherwise structurally compromised surgical gloves. In many instances where a sharp instrument such as a hypodermic needle cannula, scalpel, scissors, and the like, is used in an operating theater, the surgeon will accidentally puncture his glove. This penetration and the unsafe condition resulting therefrom often goes undetected until the surgeon removes his glove at the end of the operation and discovers a collection of blood inside the glove. Should the patient being treated have a contagious disease, the surgeon will be exposed to the possibility of contracting the disease and to the potentially life-threatening effects thereof.
At present, nothing is known by which to accurately, instantaneously and visually alert the health care worker of the need to re-glove as a consequence of a compromise in the structural integrity of his glove caused by a puncture or tear. Therefore, what is needed to combat this potentially life-threatening situation among health care workers is a low cost, easy to manufacture and non-obtrusive indicator to warn health care workers of the unsafe condition described above.